Projektdetails

Gesamtkosten:

EU-Beitrag:

Koordiniert in:

Thema(en):

Aufruf zur Vorschlagseinreichung:

Finanzierungsprogramm:

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

Ziel

Over the past decade, redshiftsurveys and multi-wavelength imaging campaigns have drawn up anempirical picture of how many stars had formed in which types ofgalaxies over the history of the universe. However, we have yet tounravel the individual pathways along which galaxies evolve, and thephysical processes that drive them. Continuing with the previousapproach -- larger and deeper photometric samples -- is not adequateto achieve this goal. A change of focus is required.

In this ERC project I will embark on a new way to address the questionof galaxy evolution. I will do so as Principle Investigator of therecently approved LEGA-C observing program that has been allocated 128nights of observation time over the next 4 years with ESO's flagshipfacility the Very Large Telescope. This new survey will produce for2500 distant (at z~1) galaxies with, for the first time,sufficient resolution and S/N to measure ages and chemicalcompositions of their stellar populations as well as internal velocitydispersions and dynamical masses. This will provide an entirely newphysical description of the galaxy population 7 Gyr ago, with which Iwill finally be able solve long-standing questions in galaxy formationthat were out of reach before: what is the star-formation history ofindividual galaxies, why and how is star-formation ``quenched'' inmany galaxies, and to what extent do galaxies grow subsequentlythrough merging afterward?

LEGA-C is worldwide the largest spectroscopic survey of distantgalaxies to date, and ERC funding will be absolutely critical inharvesting this unparallelled database. I am seeking to extend myresearch group to realize the scientific potential of this substantialinvestment (6.5M Eur) of observational resources by the Europeanastronomy community. Timing of the execution of the VLT program isperfectly matched with the timeline of this ERC program.